Discussion
Just wondering how the cyclists of PH felt about groups of cyclists blocking roads by forming a peloton? Was out on my motorcycle on the Mendips yesterday and came across several groups doing this, one in particular causing very obvious anger by blocking a winding, hilly B road for about five miles, with something like 25-30 cars and vans behind forced to follow along, unable to pass.
to be fair there were probably hundreds of charity rides taking place this weekend and a lot of inexperienced riders out there so i dont think its idicative of cyclists as a whole. they should have better road perception and be better briefed at teh start but sometimes they can forget and trundle on merrily for miles unaware of cars behind...
we dont post everytime we get cut up on the motorway, stuck behind a learner on a minor/local road or behind an old dear content to do 30mph in a 40 zone. it happens, we are inconvenienced for a while, we get on with our lives and move on....
we dont post everytime we get cut up on the motorway, stuck behind a learner on a minor/local road or behind an old dear content to do 30mph in a 40 zone. it happens, we are inconvenienced for a while, we get on with our lives and move on....
I don't think they were charity riders Pablo, my impression was that they were bike clubs out for runs together. One group in particular all seemed to be from a club based in a town in Wiltshire. I came across four separate groups, including one of about 15 riders closely packed together going up Cheddar Gorge, which caused a tailback all the way down into the village. I was hanging back and saw them react very angrily and aggressively towards a couple of cars who pushed past on the other side of the road. They clearly wanted the cars to stay behind them, not attempt to overtake and were not going to do anything to assist other road users to get past. I can well understand the attraction of riding together but I do think that just blocking up a road like this and actively treating other road users with contempt is a sure fire way to provoke a confrontation.
Mon Ami Mate said:
I don't think they were charity riders Pablo, my impression was that they were bike clubs out for runs together. One group in particular all seemed to be from a club based in a town in Wiltshire. I came across four separate groups, including one of about 15 riders closely packed together going up Cheddar Gorge, which caused a tailback all the way down into the village. I was hanging back and saw them react very angrily and aggressively towards a couple of cars who pushed past on the other side of the road. They clearly wanted the cars to stay behind them, not attempt to overtake and were not going to do anything to assist other road users to get past. I can well understand the attraction of riding together but I do think that just blocking up a road like this and actively treating other road users with contempt is a sure fire way to provoke a confrontation.
sound like a
holes then, the twisty climb bit just out of the village is quite tight but after that its easily wide enough for cars to pass a cyclist with plenty of room. on the road, clubs should stick to groups no bigger than 6 or 8. perhpas a polite email to the club chairman?Dififcult to comment without seeing the roads that you describe. If it is safe to do so then groups I have ridden in will help traffic to pass safely. But, imagine 30 riders lined out single - or even double.. it's a lot to get past in one hit. If there's one thing groups don't like it's a car trying to push back in part way through overtaking.
OK, I can see the point. Simple question then, if you are in a group of, let's say 15-20 cyclists, and you are out on a busy but winding and hilly B road on a sunny Bank Holiday Monday, would you ride for miles in a peloton and ignore the ever growing queue of vehicles behind you, or would you seek to help them past at regular intervals?
HundredthIdiot said:
A long line of single file is often more dangerous than a shorter wider group, particularly on a narrow road.
^^^This makes a lot of sense.I went cycling a lot whilst on holiday in France over the past two weeks, and was in the company of a few other cyclists (family and friends). The area is cyclist-heavy and roads are narrow, so when we cycle on the roads (when there are no cycle paths) we do so in single file. After a couple of outings I noted (as I was tail-end-Charlie) that people were reluctant to overtake and I noticed it was because we stretched out for quite a distance without leaving a gap for cars to pull-in, so we changed this and left a gap every 3rd bike, and I noticed an immediate change with people able to overtake much more readily/safely instead of sitting behind me for a long time or taking a risk and having to dangerously dive-in when an on-coming car presented itself.
However, I have noticed events where liveried-up riders group-together several bikes wide across the road, holding up other traffic. I think it's quite arrogant to do this and doesn't confirm to my own personal mantra of "cycling defensively". I don't even like riding two abreast on roads - I feel very exposed. I never feel obliged to demonstrate my "rights" whilst cycling.
Edited by Mars on Tuesday 30th August 14:22
okgo said:
That is out of order.
We sometimes go about 2 or 3 wide, but will shout "car back" if there's someone behind and fall into single file, its the best way.
^ This.We sometimes go about 2 or 3 wide, but will shout "car back" if there's someone behind and fall into single file, its the best way.
As is also pointed out if the line reverts to single file in order to be courteous and let a car past - most groups will do this - then please dont get halfway past and then decide that you cant get past the lot in time and try and squeeze in pushing us into hedge / kerb. Its one of the reasons i hate riding in groups on main roads.
Most cyclists are motorists too and as such are well aware that they may be causing a que so will try and let you through as soon as possible to prevent pent up frustration causing dangerous overtakes.
Edited to add that Mars makes a good point about leaving gaps within the line if its really long and strung out.
Edited by Raoul Duke on Tuesday 30th August 14:16
Mon Ami Mate said:
OK, I can see the point. Simple question then, if you are in a group of, let's say 15-20 cyclists, and you are out on a busy but winding and hilly B road on a sunny Bank Holiday Monday, would you ride for miles in a peloton and ignore the ever growing queue of vehicles behind you, or would you seek to help them past at regular intervals?
I ride in Ireland. Drivers here are generally patient and stupid, and occasionally impatient and stupid. You have to manage their behaviour for everyone's sake.For instance, if I'm riding alone on a narrow road on a weekday evening (particularly on Fridays), I have to adopt a central road position before blind bends. If I stay left, some idiot will overtake on the blind bend across the white line and when he meets an oncoming car either take me out or collide head on, resulting in dead people.
At weekends in groups on narrow roads it's different.
In small groups we would go single file and let cars past.
In larger groups we would tend to form a wider shorter group, and cars will have to wait for a gap in oncoming traffic.
I don't recall ever being in a position where cars had to wait for more than a minute for an overtaking opportunity, but I guess that's more about the roads we use.
Based on typical social conversations with drivers (not on PH), a big issue is that many drivers just don't know how to overtake properly.
Sounds like a complete pain in the ass, but equally I ride up cheddar gorge fairly regularly as I'm local and its not the easiest of judgements - if you ride centrally in your lane you are liable to piss people off and even if you stop to let cars pass there is never a moment on a holiday weekend where you can avoid holding people up, and if you ride single file its still a decidely unsound overtake at the twisty section.
As for the group size again its all too easy to imagine a club having a larger turnout on a reasonable bank holiday weekend, and invariably only 2 or 3 of them will be willing to lead a group, so what do you do? not an easy balance to strike.
As for the group size again its all too easy to imagine a club having a larger turnout on a reasonable bank holiday weekend, and invariably only 2 or 3 of them will be willing to lead a group, so what do you do? not an easy balance to strike.
When doing some mountain bike leader training it was suggested to me that If you have a larger group, and the road doesn't permit easy, safe overtaking, it would make sense to split into smaller bunches with decent size gaps between them for vehicles to overtake safely. Only re-forming into one group when you get back off the road, or it's simply unsafe to let vehicles get between you.
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